Moon and earth - Compositional differences inferred from siderophiles, volatiles, and alkalis in basalts
A comparison of RNAA analyses of 18 trace elements in 25 low-Ti lunar and 10 terrestrial oceanic basalts indicated that the volatiles such as Ag, Bi, and Br are depleted in lunar basalts by nearly constant factors of 0.026 relative to terrestrial basalts. This constancy is not consistent with models that derive the moon's volatiles from partial recondensation of the earth's mantle or from partial degassing of a captured body; it is consistent with models which derive planetary volatiles from a thin veneer of C-chondrite material. Chalcogens (Se and Te) have almost constant and identical abundances in lunar and terrestrial basalts; siderophiles show abundant Ni in lunar basalts, while Ir, Re, Ge, and Au are depleted.